The FA will follow suit and fine Chelsea, but Liam Rosenior’s side will not be penalized for 74 breaches of regulations. The Blues are likely to avoid any sporting sanctions and pay a further hefty fine. Chelsea self-reported financial irregularities after Bruko and Todd Boley bought the club from former owner Roman Abramovich.
Seven transfers are at the center of the Premier League investigation. The transfers of Eden Hazard, Ramires, Willian, David Luiz, Andre Schurrle, Nemanja Matic and Samuel Eto’o are all being investigated for money paid to third parties or unauthorized agents.
The players involved in the transfer have not been accused of any wrongdoing. “The investigation revealed that the payments were made with the knowledge and approval of certain former senior officers and/or directors of the club, which the club acknowledged as well. It is understood that the funds were made through a third party and that they were controlled by or connected to the club’s then owner, Roman Abramovich.”
Additionally, there are four other players whose names were redacted from the Premier League report, although the reason for these omissions remains unclear.
In a statement, the Premier League said: “The Premier League’s investigation revealed that between 2011 and 2018, undisclosed payments were made by third parties connected to the club to players, unregistered agents and other third parties. These payments were not disclosed to football regulators at the time, including the Premier League. The payments were made for the benefit of Chelsea FC and should have been treated as having been made by the club.”
“The club also admitted, among other things, that by making these payments and failing to disclose them to the league, it breached its requirement to act in good faith toward the league.”
In response, Chelsea issued its own statement, saying it had accepted the Premier League’s sanction and had “voluntarily and proactively disclosed to all applicable regulatory authorities potential historical breaches of regulations, including incomplete financial reporting, which occurred more than 10 years ago.”
They said: “The club welcomed the recognition of ‘extraordinary co-operation’ from the Premier League, saying ‘without these voluntary disclosures and self-reports, the Premier League’s many breaches of regulations may never have come to the attention of the league.'”
This is the second time in recent years that Chelsea have been forced to spend large sums of money, having been slapped with a financial fraud penalty by UEFA in 2023 for “submitting incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.
